Tag Archives: Judge Patrick Durcan

January 17, 2018Comments Off on ‘Morally obliged’ to disobey drug laws

A 53-YEAR-OLD West Clare man has told a judge that if he can be accused of committing a crime, it is ‘bananas, unjust and absolutely absurd’. John O’Regan of the Kilkee Bay Apartments, Kilkee made his comment before Judge Patrick Durcan convicted him of cultivating cannabis without a licence and unlawful possession of cannabis at his home on April 7, 2016. At Kilrush District Court, Judge Durcan fined the defendant €250 for the cultivation and took the unlawful possession offence into account. Mr O’Regan told Judge Durcan that because he is obliged to oppose unjust drug laws, he will not be paying the fine. He said, “Judge, you are as fair minded as they come but I am very sorry and I cannot pay the fine.” In a search of Mr O’Regan’s apartment in April 2016, gardaí found 13 mature cannabis plants. The cannabis was for his own use and the defendant told that the court that the relevant law “is unjust and all citizens are morally obliged to disobey it”. …

March 10, 2017Comments Off on Man ‘heavily involved’ in church pleads guilty to sexual assault

A RECENTLY married man described as “heavily involved” with a Christian church has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and has been ordered to pay €1,000 to the court discretionary fund. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Ennis District Court this week charged with sexual assault on dates unknown between September 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. The injured party had been staying in an apartment in West Clare and as part of the arrangement, he shared a double bed with the accused. The court was told in evidence that one morning, the injured party woke to discover the accused’s hand on his penis. He became alarmed and jumped out of bed and made a complaint of sexual assault to the gardaí. The accused told gardaí that his “emotions overcame him” and that this was the first time something like this had happened. Solicitor for the accused Will Cahir outlined that his client had no previous …

A BRAZILIAN native who showed a “complete flagrant disregard” for the law, after admitting to charges of brothel-keeping in Ennis and Limerick, has been sentenced to a total of eight months in prison. Aulicete Camargo Walsh of Breskabeg, Clarina, County Limerick appeared before Ennis District Court charged with two counts of brothel-keeping and one of using a false instrument. She was charged that being the tenant/lessee/occupier/person-in-charge of a premises at 18 Bank Square, Bindon Lane, she knowingly permitted it to be used as a brothel for the purpose of habitual prostitution on May 9, 2016. She was also charged with using a Portuguese driving licence, which she knew to be a false instrument. The accused was also charged with running a brothel at 6 Crosley House, Dock Road, Limerick on May 27, 2016. The court had previously heard that the 54-year-old grandmother was arrested on suspicion of brothel-keeping following a surveillance operation by gardaí. Three Romanian women in their 20s …

TWO people have appeared before a sitting of Ennis District Court charged in connection with the running of a brothel from a housing estate in Ennis. Celia Galan (40) and David Navaro (49), both with an address of 47 Drumroe, Rathbogue, Limerick are charged with living on the earnings of prostitution. The charge alleges that on July 23, 2016 the defendants did knowingly live in whole or in part on the earnings of the prostitution of another person and aided and abetted that prostitution. At Wednesday’s sitting of Ennis District Court, Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecuting, outlined that gardaí were alerted that a brothel was being run from 5 Station View on the Quin Road in Ennis. He said gardaí followed up and both defendants were arrested and questioned in relation to the matter. He said the charges before the court “forms part of allegations they are facing”. The matter was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who directed that …

JUDGE Patrick Durcan has this year distributed €42,000 from what used to be known as the Court Poor Box, but which he has now renamed the Court Discretionary Fund. This year’s fund has been divided across 30 local and national organisations, with the largest beneficiary this year being the Bedford Row Family Project Ltd in Limerick, an organisation that supports the families of prisoners. The group has received €15,000 from the fund. St Vincent de Paul services in Clare were the next biggest beneficiary; Ennis received €3,000 from the fund, while St Senan’s Kilrush Conference St Vincent De Paul received €2,000. A number of Clare organisations benefited from €1,000, including Rape Crisis Midwest, Home Share Clare, Clare Youth Service, West Clare Family Resource Centre, North West Clare Family Resource Centre, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland Clare, Raheen Hospital Support Services Limited, Killaloe-Ballina Community and Family Resource Centre, Ennis Community Development Project Traveller Education, District Daycare Centre in Clarecastle, Poor Clares …

November 4, 2016Comments Off on Driver six times over drink driving limit drove wrong way on M18

A COUNTY Limerick woman has been put off the road for three years, having driven the incorrect way along the fast lane of the M18, while almost six times over the legal drink driving limit. Alexandra Kaninka of Bothar Buí, Ghleann Mhoir, Newcastle West, appeared before Ennis District Court, where she pleaded guilty to charges of drink driving and dangerous driving at Carrigoran and at Ballynacragga, Newmarket-on-Fergus, on March 6 last. Inspector Tom Kennedy, prosecuting, said the motorway has to be closed down to traffic after a number of calls were made to the 999 line of a car travelling the incorrect way along the fast lane of the M18. The court heard that the incident took place at 7.30pm. It was dark and cars had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with the defendant’s car. Garda Liam Reilly told the court that he met the defendant when he came upon her car parked to one side of …

November 2, 2016Comments Off on Revenue seizes cash at Shannon Airport

Revenue officers at Shannon Airport seized €14,000 in cash, when they stopped and questioned a Chinese woman following routine profiling. The woman, in her 20s, was boarding a flight to London Heathrow for onward travel to Hong Kong. Revenue seized the cash, which was denominated in €50, €100, €200 and €500 notes, suspecting it to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity. Today, at Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan granted a three month detention order to allow Revenue to investigate further. These investigations are ongoing. Revenue officers have powers under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, and the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act, 2005 to seize and detain cash suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, any criminal activity, at the point of import – export, or in the course of operations within the State. In 2015, Revenue seized €1.6m. So far this year over €590k has been seized in 45 cases, and …

A 28-year-old Clare man has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court, charged with the rape of a woman in 2014. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of raping a woman in her home on the night of October 26/27, 2014. He is further charged with criminal damage at the injured party’s home, where it is alleged he damaged various bed clothes, assorted clothing belonging to the injured party, the wall of her main bedroom and various crystal ornaments, intending to damage the property. Inspector Kieran Ruan told Ennis District Court on Wednesday that the Director of Public Prosecutions had consented to the case being sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court. Garda Niamh Browne gave evidence of serving a Book of Evidence on the accused. Judge Patrick Durcan made the order to send the case onto the Central Criminal Court and granted an application for free legal aid to …

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